Here and There Blog

I have never been so happy to cross an imaginary threshold like the passing of 2005. This was a bittersweet year as I came across both incredibly high and lowpoints of my life this year. I set a personal record for flight miles but I couldn't even begin to calculate how many. I was in Europe 3 times, Hawaii 3 times, the Middle East once, and then Samoa. There were numerous trips all over the continental US. I think I spent more nights in hotels than in my own home. In fact, I'm sure of it! The lowest point of the year was my father's death. It hit me much harder than I ever thought possible and even today, nearly 11 months later, I still am not 100% of my former self. I still have unresolved denial issues and at some point soon, I need to let go. I know that I owe a few people cards and letters and perhaps this weekend I may actually send them out. My friend Kelly died of Valley Fever and a recent episode of "Bones" featured Valley Fever, so it must truly be on t...

People are finally looking at condos again! I had one realtor preview today and she's bringing by clients on Saturday. Someone else came by and showed the place to a client but I guess they had zero interest. They didn't leave a card but they ate a big handful of candy! The dreaded statistics problem was finally resolved and I have moved on to a new set of formulas. Now I just have to figure out how to use the Excel formulas because I am still using a pencil, paper, and simple calculator to do the math. So my plans for Saturday are to finish up the homework early, knock out a couple more math problems, and then find something entertaining to do for New Year's Eve!

A whole day has passed and I almost forgot to blog! In the last 24 hours I have bought my next ticket to Kuwait (Jan. 15-Feb.2) found out that my condo will be having an Open House on Jan. 8th, and that there really isn't a worse class to take than Statistics! When I wasn't focused on Kuwait today, I was busy worrying about frequency data and Excel spreadsheets. They were both equally annoying topics. As I never resolved the Statistics problem, I'm headed back to the class now to give it another shot. 2.5 weeks down. 7.5 to go. At least I can figure that math out pretty easily.

Narnia is the one movie out that almost everyone can go see and enjoy. You don't have to have read the books to understand the movie. The premise is simple: 4 children are sent away to the country to avoid the impact of WWII in London. In the manor there is a room which contains a coat wardrobe and through this wardrobe is the entrance to Narnia . In Narnia , the children find a world that is unlike their own and full of magical creatures. The only problem is that the White Witch has taken over and turned Narnia into a world of perpetual winter. With the help of the lion Aslan, the children set out to free Narnia from the White Witch. The movie is watchable, the special effects believable, and the children are not annoying. Tilda Swinton provides the most entertainment of the film as the White Witch. The worst that can be said about Narnia is that it's almost too pleasant and my attention wandered while I was waiting for some action to happen in the movie. Stay for the cr...

Now I know why Spielberg had to make a ridiculous movie like War of the Worlds . It was his money ticket to be able to make Munich . At nearly 3 hours, Munich is about the retaliation assassinations of the Palestinians who may or may not have been involved in the murder of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team. The movie held my attention even with a nearly 3 hour running time. In fact, Munich might be the best movie that I've seen this year. This is the role that will make Eric Bana’s a star. His portrayal of the bodyguard turned assassin is amazing. Spielberg has gone above and beyond in his casting for Munich and the result is a group of believable characters that represent what might have happened in the lives of people who were hired killers. Munich does not pretend to be neutral but it isn't all one sided either. We watch everything through the eyes of the Israelis and how they responded to the murder of their athletics. Each decision was made for a reason and a single purpos...

Syriana is the movie that will provide people with divided opinions about oil, terrorism, and the Middle East. The movie follows 4 central characters as they each grasp with their own beliefs and convictions about what is right and wrong. Syriana is a good idea in concept but the reality is that most people will never see this movie. That’s not a bad thing since the movie assumes a role of neutrality, we can see exactly who is bad and who is good, with one rare exception. Syriana is filmed "Traffic" style. Good is in Technicolor, bad is blurry and colorless. Good people take care of family. Bad people shoot zebras. Government in any form is bad. Oil men are bad. Rich Arabs are bad. Organized terrorists are bad. Matt Damon = good. George Clooney = good. In other words, the movie does take sides and it is pretty obvious what the writer and director believes. Through the use of filtered light, color, dress, and the sets, there are hints everywhere of what makes up the real wo...

Merry Christmas! Surf's not up but it's still a great day at the beach. I hope Santa was good to everyone and that you all have a wonderful day!